Blue Ridge Parkway: Quite A Spread

August 14, 2005

If you're looking for food, entertainment, history, nature or sports, Explore Park has it

It was once envisioned to be a major attraction with an amusement park, hotels and conference center. Disney even considered it for development. But what happened instead was the formation of a public-private partnership that created a park for the history buff and nature lover alike.

Explore Park, a 1,100-acre complex just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Southwest Virginia, attracts 60,000 visitors a year to its living-history museum and recreational outdoor venues.

Located at milepost 115, about 11/2 miles outside of Roanoke, Explore Park has a network of trails for hiking and biking, water for canoeing and fishing, and a living history attraction that includes an 1850 valley village, a 1757 frontier fort and a 1671 Totero Indian village.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center and Brugh Tavern restaurant mark the entrance of the park. The tavern, a reassembled 1790s establishment relocated from nearby Botetourt County, offers lunch and dinner options. Shuttles transport visitors to the living history sites from the parking lot at the center and tavern.

Most of the recreational venues are open from dawn to dusk or as posted year-round, weather permitting. The park's historic areas are open five days a week from April through October. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Admission is $8 for those 16 and older, $6 for senior citizens (55 and older) and $5 for children 4 to 15. *